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The Benefactress

by: Elizabeth von Arnim

Publication date: 2014-09-28

Usage: Public Domain Mark 1.0

Topics: librivox, audiobooks, romance, romantic comedy

Language: English

Item Size: 2.2G

LibriVox recording of The Benefactress by Elizabeth von Arnim.
Read in English by Helen Taylor

Anna Estcourt, twenty-five and beautiful, is the penniless ward of her distant brother and his exasperating wife. Turning down all offers of marriage, scornful at the thought of leaning on a man for help and comfort, she thinks only of the independence which seems an impossible dream. But out of the blue Uncle Joachim, her mother's brother, leaves her a handsome property in Germany. Her longed for independence is within her grasp, and though it's a rocky beginning with the locals, she loves her new home. Keen to use her new-found wealth for the benefit of others, she embarks on a plan to throw open her doors to distressed gentlewomen - a project which takes a far greater physical and emotional toll than she could have imagined. Although she maintains that she is not interested in men, might the friendship of her neighbouring landowner, Axel Lohm, make her new life a little easier to bear?...

A warm, charming story which is packed with Elizabeth von Arnim's trademark humour and wry observation of character. It's also a perceptive critique of society's constraints on women, holding up a glass to all the artfulness and falseness of 'femininity' - but despite its strong feminist overtones, it manages simultaneously to be a wonderful romantic comedy! - Summary by Helen Taylor

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Download M4B 01-15 (165MB) Download M4B 16-32 (152MB)

Addeddate: 2014-09-28 22:05:38

Boxid: OL100020205

Call number: 9164

External-identifier: urn:storj:bucket:jvrrslrv7u4ubxymktudgzt3hnpq:benefactress_1409_librivox

External_metadata_update: 2019-04-01T14:44:34Z

Identifier: benefactress_1409_librivox

Ocr: ABBYY FineReader 9.0

Ocr_converted: abbyy-to-hocr 1.1.11

Ocr_module_version: 0.0.14

Ppi: 600

Run time: 11:28:06

Year: 2014

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Reviews (6)

Reviewer: Micheleanna - - February 20, 2016
Subject: Thank you Helen Taylor

A delightful reading of a good story. It's a light little tale and has plenty of the Arnim charm and insight to keep it interesting.

Reviewer: Dixie8 - - October 5, 2015
Subject: Excellent reader makes for an interesting read

This is truly a quality reading from a very expressive reader and I enjoyed listening to this book very much.
The Benefactress is another good example ...

Reviewer: TwinkieToes - - January 12, 2015
Subject: Enjoyable Book, Enjoyable Reader

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. In the end, I didn't see the "a woman needs a man" line of thought as being supported by this book. I think that in this ...

Reviewer: Helsbelles - December 10, 2014
Subject: Future recordings

Hi - I'm the reader of this book. If you enjoy it and would like to know when more of my recordings are published, please follow me on Twitter @111Hels ...

Reviewer: TheBookworm - - October 27, 2014
Subject: Great reading...

... and a good book. The author's experience marrying into Pomeranian aristocracy give the story more than a touch of authenticity.
I enjoyed it... but ...

Reviewer: sarahm - - October 9, 2014 (edited)
Subject: Excellent Recording

If I were only reviewing the quality of the recording this would be an enthusiastic 5 stars. Helen Taylor is an absolute treasure.
Regarding the novel, ...

There are 6 reviews for this item. .

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6 Reviews